Buyer's Guide
Unilock vs Techo-Bloc vs Belgard: A Homeowner's Paver Comparison Guide for the GTA
Almost every patio, driveway and walkway project in Richmond Hill, Vaughan and across the Greater Toronto Area starts with the same question: which paver brand should we use? Unilock, Techo-Bloc and Belgard are the three premium names our clients shortlist, and honestly, all three make excellent hardscape products. This guide breaks down where each one genuinely stands out so you can walk into your design meeting already knowing what you want.
Last updated: June 4, 2026
The Short Answer
All three are premium; choose Unilock for the widest Ontario selection and proven local track record, Techo-Bloc for the boldest modern designs and crispest finishes, and Belgard for natural, organic stone looks at competitive value.
If you want the safest choice in Ontario, Unilock is hard to beat. It is an Ontario-founded manufacturer with local production, which means the widest stocked selection across GTA distributors, faster access to replacement units years down the road, and colour blends developed specifically for our climate and our architecture. Products like Il Campo, Beacon Hill, Umbriano and the Series line cover everything from old-world tumbled cobble to large-format contemporary slabs. For a homeowner who wants a beautiful patio, minimal supply headaches and easy matching of walls, steps and coping, Unilock is the default recommendation we make most often, and it rarely disappoints.
Techo-Bloc is our pick when the design leans modern, architectural or dramatic. This Quebec manufacturer has built its reputation on sharply defined edges, unusually rich surface textures and colours that photograph beautifully, plus a very complete ecosystem of walls, steps, pillars, coping, fire features and outdoor kitchen components that all coordinate. Blu, Borealis, Aberdeen and Raffinato are the families clients point at most often in our showroom binders. It typically sits at the upper end of the price range, and the trade-off is worth it if you want a patio that reads as designed rather than assembled. Detail-obsessed homeowners consistently gravitate here.
Belgard suits homeowners chasing an organic, quarried-stone appearance or a slightly gentler budget without stepping down to builder-grade product. As part of a large North American manufacturing group, Belgard brings strong texture work in families like Mega-Arbel, Melville and Lafitt, and its irregular flagstone-style slabs create relaxed, natural patios that suit ravine lots and country properties around King, Aurora and north Vaughan. Ontario availability can be a little narrower than the other two depending on the collection and season, so we confirm stock and lead times before we finalize a design. When the look fits, Belgard delivers outstanding character for the money.
Last updated: June 14, 2026
We build with all three
We install Unilock, Techo-Bloc and Belgard, so our recommendation depends on your property and taste — not on a brand we are tied to.
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Side by Side
Unilock vs Techo-Bloc vs Belgard compared
The ten things GTA homeowners actually ask us when choosing between the three.
| Unilock | Techo-Bloc | Belgard | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Origin and Ontario availability | Ontario-founded; broadest local stock | Quebec-based; strong GTA distribution | Large North American group; varies by collection |
| Product range and style breadth | Very broad; classic through contemporary | Deep modern and architectural focus | Strong natural and old-world looks |
| Surface finish and texture | Granite-like and smooth premium surfaces | Crisp edges, richly detailed textures | Quarried, riven and tumbled character |
| Colour retention and fade resistance | Through-colour premium blends resist fading | Dense surface layer holds colour well | Good retention; earthy tones age gracefully |
| Strength and freeze-thaw durability | High-strength units built for Ontario winters | Dense, low-absorption units; winter-proven | Meets North American paver standards |
| Typical price tier | Mid to premium, depending on collection | Premium; often the highest per square foot | Value to premium; competitive per square foot |
| Manufacturer warranty | Long-term transferable manufacturer warranty | Long-term manufacturer warranty on pavers | Long-term manufacturer warranty on pavers |
| Best-known product families | Il Campo, Beacon Hill, Umbriano, Series | Blu, Borealis, Aberdeen, Raffinato | Mega-Arbel, Melville, Lafitt |
| Matching walls, steps and coping | Extensive coordinated wall and step range | Very complete outdoor-living component system | Good coordinated wall and step options |
| Best-fit use case | All-round patios, driveways, easy matching | Modern patios and full outdoor rooms | Natural-look patios and ravine properties |
How to Actually Choose Between Unilock, Techo-Bloc and Belgard
Start with the house, not the brochure. Walk to the curb, look at your brick, stone, roof and window frames, and decide whether your home reads traditional, transitional or modern. That single judgement eliminates roughly two-thirds of the catalogue before you ever compare manufacturers. Next, decide the paver size and shape you want, because large-format slabs, tumbled cobbles and irregular flagstone-style units create completely different moods. Only then compare brands, because at that point you are choosing between two or three specific products rather than three enormous companies. Then apply three practical filters: is the product reliably stocked in Ontario right now, does it have coordinating walls, steps and coping so the whole project matches, and does it fit the budget once installation is included. In our experience most homeowners arrive convinced they need a particular brand and leave having chosen a product they had never heard of, simply because it suited the house better.
Unilock Pavers: Ontario Roots and the Widest Local Selection
Unilock has manufactured in Ontario for decades, and that local presence shapes everything about working with the brand here. Stock depth at GTA distributors is generally excellent, lead times on popular colours are short, and if you need to extend a patio or replace a damaged unit in five years, the odds of finding a match are better than with almost any alternative. The range spans genuinely different design worlds: Il Campo brings a tumbled, old-world cobblestone feel that suits century-style and European-inspired homes, Beacon Hill offers classic textured cobble in several scales, Umbriano delivers a refined granite-like surface with subtle mottling that reads as natural stone from a metre away, and the Series line covers clean, linear large-format slabs for contemporary designs. Premium collections use a hard-wearing top layer engineered for colour stability and stain resistance, which matters on a patio that lives under a barbecue and a maple tree. Coordinating walls, steps, coping and edging make it straightforward to build a complete, matched landscape rather than a patio that stops abruptly.
Techo-Bloc Pavers: Modern Design and Precision Finishes
Techo-Bloc has spent years positioning itself as the design-forward option, and the product backs it up. Edges are crisp, faces are consistent, and the surface textures have a depth that reads well in person and photographs beautifully, which matters more than people expect when a patio becomes the backdrop for every family gathering. Blu is the workhorse smooth-faced slab family that anchors countless modern patios, Borealis brings a distinctive wood-grain-inspired texture that softens contemporary layouts, Aberdeen offers a quarried, weathered look with strong character, and Raffinato leans elegant and refined for formal spaces. What genuinely sets the brand apart is the completeness of the ecosystem. Walls, steps, pillars, coping, fire tables, kitchen modules and pool copings are all designed to coordinate, so an outdoor room can be specified end to end without visual compromises. The units are dense with low water absorption, which serves them well through Ontario freeze-thaw cycles. Expect to pay a premium, particularly on signature collections, and expect a patio that looks deliberately designed.
Belgard Pavers: Natural Stone Character and Strong Value
Belgard is the option most homeowners underrate, usually because they have simply seen less of it locally. Backed by a large North American manufacturing group, Belgard brings serious production capability and a catalogue with real strengths in organic, quarried aesthetics. Mega-Arbel is the standout: irregular, flagstone-inspired slabs in generous sizes that create relaxed, natural-looking patios ideal for ravine lots, cottage-style properties and the wooded neighbourhoods around King, Aurora and north Vaughan. Melville offers a tumbled, old-world cobble character suited to traditional homes, and Lafitt delivers a riven, chiselled stone texture across a range of formats. Earthy colour palettes tend to weather gracefully rather than shifting noticeably. On price, Belgard is often competitive against comparably specified products from the other two, which can free budget for a larger patio, better lighting or proper drainage. The practical caveat is availability: not every collection or colour is consistently stocked in Ontario, so we always confirm current stock and lead times before locking a design around a specific Belgard product.
Why the Base and Installation Matter Far More Than the Brand
Here is the uncomfortable truth of this entire comparison: the brand on the pallet is not what determines whether your patio still looks right in ten years. Base preparation does. In the clay soils common across Richmond Hill, Vaughan and much of the GTA, a patio needs proper excavation depth, a geotextile separation layer where conditions call for it, correctly graded and compacted granular base placed in thin lifts, a screeded bedding layer, positive drainage away from the house and secure edge restraint. Skip or shortcut any of those and even the finest paver made will settle, heave and open joints after a couple of winters. Driveways demand more depth than patios because of vehicle loading, and any area near downspouts or grade changes needs a drainage plan rather than optimism. This is why we run in-house crews rather than subcontractors and why we produce a photoreal 3D design you approve before a single stone is delivered. The stone is the easy part; the metre of engineering under it is the actual product.
What Pavers Cost in the GTA and How to Get a Fixed Itemized Quote
Paver material alone is only a fraction of a finished project, which is why comparing brand price lists is misleading. In the Greater Toronto Area, installed cost is driven mostly by excavation depth, disposal of spoil, base thickness, site access, grade changes, drainage requirements, cutting complexity and whether you are adding steps, walls, lighting or coping. A simple rectangular patio with good access and a straightforward layout sits at one end of the range, while a driveway with deep base requirements, retaining walls and intricate cuts sits well beyond it. Choosing a premium collection over a standard one typically changes the total by a smaller percentage than most homeowners expect, because labour and base do not change. Since 2014 we have completed more than 380 projects across the region, and we quote the same way every time: a site visit, a photoreal 3D design you approve before we build, and a fixed itemized quote with no line-item surprises. Call (416) 846-5893 to book a consultation.
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Paver brand FAQs
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All three manufacture pavers rated for vehicular use, so the brand matters less than picking a driveway-appropriate product and building the right base. Look for thicker units and interlocking shapes designed for vehicle loading rather than thin patio slabs. Unilock's local stock depth makes future repairs and extensions easier, which is a genuine advantage on a driveway that may see plow damage or a service excavation. Whatever you choose, driveway base depth in our clay soils must be substantially greater than for a patio, and edge restraint must be properly installed along the full perimeter.
In practice, correctly installed pavers from all three brands last decades in our climate, because each manufactures dense, low-absorption units engineered for northern winters. Differences between them are far smaller than the difference between a well-built base and a poor one. Water is the enemy: if it collects under the pavers and freezes, the surface heaves regardless of who made the stone. Proper excavation, compacted granular base placed in lifts, drainage away from the house and secure edge restraint are what deliver longevity. Choose the brand on looks and availability, then invest in the installation underneath.
Material price varies more within each brand than between them, because every manufacturer offers entry, mid and signature collections. Broadly, Techo-Bloc's signature lines tend to sit at the top of the range, Unilock spans mid to premium depending on the collection, and Belgard often prices competitively for a comparable look. On a finished project, material is typically a minority of the cost, so upgrading collections usually shifts the total by a modest percentage. The bigger cost drivers are base depth, site access, disposal, drainage and added features like steps, walls and lighting.
Some settling of colour is normal on any concrete paver, though modern premium collections resist it well. All three brands use engineered surface layers and quality pigments on their upper lines specifically to hold colour, and mid-tone earthy palettes show change far less than very dark or very bright ones. Efflorescence, a temporary white haze from natural curing, is common on new installations and clears on its own within roughly the first year. Regular sweeping, prompt cleanup of oil or organic stains, and a periodic sealer where appropriate will keep any of these products looking close to new.
Technically yes, and we occasionally do it deliberately, for example pairing a field paver from one brand with a contrasting border or a step tread from another. But it needs care. Unit thicknesses, module dimensions and colour undertones differ between manufacturers, so mixing without planning creates awkward joints, uneven surfaces and clashing tones. It can also complicate warranty conversations if an issue arises. Our usual advice is to select one brand for the primary hardscape and any coordinating walls, steps and coping, then introduce contrast through a second product only where the design genuinely calls for it.
Unilock, Techo-Bloc and Belgard each provide long-term manufacturer warranties on their paver products covering structural integrity under normal residential use, with specific terms, exclusions and transfer conditions varying by brand and collection. We will give you the current written warranty document for whichever product you choose so you can read the exact terms. Just as important is the workmanship warranty on the installation, since most real-world problems come from base failure rather than the stone itself. A-Z Landscaping backs every project with a multi-year workmanship warranty and completes the work with our own in-house crews.
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